He’s fully qualified to do so. The Sylacauga, Alabama, native was raised by parents that worked in the local cotton mill. When Tyler turned 16, he followed their path to the mill; however, he remembers, “While growing up, all I wanted to do was join the military.” So, it was the Air Force in 1980. While in basic training, he was asked to go into aircraft mechanics. The mechanically inclined enlistee took that guidance into a new skillset and career. “I feel I got into aircraft mechanics by the grace of God, because I didn’t know anything about it when I enlisted,” he says. After training, Tyler was stationed in Anchorage, Alaska, where he worked on the oldest jet in the Air Force (the T-33) and was a crew chief for the newest fighter, the F-16. Tyler separated from the Air Force in 1985 and attended Alabama Aviation and Technical College where his instructor informed him about new maintenance job openings in Fort Rucker, Alabama. Tyler passed his technical interview and started working on helicopters at Fort Rucker (as there are not many T-33s and F-16s to be found on that helicopter base). “I fell in love with rotorcraft because there are so many moving parts on a helicopter that it’s like putting a puzzle together. You have to balance out vibrations, and things like that intrigue me,” he says.
HEMS Love Affair
That burgeoning helicopter love affair swept Tyler away to Carraway Methodist Medical Center in Birmingham, Alabama, where he maintained its LifeSaver helicopter. “My first day on the job in helicopter EMS (HEMS) maintenance was life changing. When you know that your job is helping people, it changes the way you think. I fell in love with HEMS.” He became director of maintenance until the hospital- owned LifeSaver program eventually shut down. Tyler then migrated to HAA operator Omniflight in 2005 as their Eastern Region maintenance manager, and also worked for them as a base mechanic after Omniflight was acquired by Air Methods Corp. “I got to work hands-on. I had a Bell 407, a pilot, nurse, and medic to directly take care of, which was a great feeling,” he fondly recalls.
Didn’t See That Coming
In 2016 David Mast, the president & CEO of PAG, called and asked to take him to breakfast. While he wasn’t sure what the meeting would be about, he was intrigued as PAG’s reputation in the industry was well known. Mast wanted him to be his vice president and general manager for Precision Aircraft Services. “While I was extremely happy at Air Methods, I listened
“
If it gets too stressful in the office, I get out there and turn some wrenches to relax.”
and made the hard decision to leave my position and move my family to Georgia. A couple of items sealed the deal for me: First, there were people of integrity and character that I trusted at the company. Second, Mast agreed that I could sow into (or train) my people with values and skills I wanted them to have. He kept his word; all of our guys go through annual training. In fact, we try to get them training at least twice a year,” says Tyler.
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